For an electric powered vehicle such as an electric car and a hybrid vehicle driving a vehicle-driving electric motor by electric power from a power storage device typified by a secondary battery, there is proposed a configuration charging the power storage device by a power supply external to the vehicle (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “external power supply”). Hereinafter, the charging of a power storage device by an external power supply may also be referred to as “external charging”.
For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2009-225587 (PTL 1) discloses a configuration directed to achieving improvement in both the charging efficiency during external charging and ensuring the operation of an auxiliary machine load. Specifically, there is disclosed a configuration in which a charging path of the main battery by external charging is provided such that external charging and operation of the auxiliary machine load are allowed even if the relay between the vehicle-driving electric motor and the main battery is OFF. Further, PTL 1 discloses a configuration in which the electric power of the main battery is converted into AC power for output from an AC outlet by setting the power converter directed to external charging to allow bidirectional power conversion.
Further, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2009-224256 (PTL 2) discloses a configuration to warm up a battery in view of the battery charging efficiency being degraded at the time of low temperature. Specifically, there is disclosed a configuration in which the heat from a warm-up electric heater is conveyed to a motor driving battery when the motor driving battery is to be charged by connection with an external power supply when the vehicle is not running.